Sleep is an important part of living a healthy life – it is as clear as it can possibly be for all of us. But the question that still bothers us is how much sleep is important? How much do we really need?
We are all familiar with the universal rule that everyone should get 8 hours of sleep, but this will not apply to both children and adults.
Sleep You Need By Age
Let’s first have a look at how much sleep you need by age, as suggested by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
0 to 3 months – 14 to 17 hours
4 to 12 months – 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours
1 to 2 years – 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours
3 to 5 years – 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours
6 to 12 years – 9 to 11 hours per 24 hours
13 to 18 years – 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours
18 to 25 years – 7 to 9 hours per night
26 to 64 years – 7 to 9 hours per night
65+ years – 7 to 8 hours per night
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, most adult people are not in any specific country, it is accepted by adults worldwide that they are not usually taking the recommended hours of sleep necessarily by their bodies.
If you are one of them, there is no need to worry as we will guide you step by step and you will learn how to get the recommended amount of sleep.
Why do we need sleep
Scientists have found and worked on the answer to this question for many years. However, they still do not have a satisfactory answer. The only thing we know for sure is that sleep is essential for our survival. There are many theories around this such as:
- Restorative Theory: Sleep helps us to “restore” what we lost while awake. Sleep gives our body a chance to heal itself.
- Brain plasticity theory: Sleep essentially helps our brains reorganize themselves. That is why when we are deprived of sleep, we are unable to learn and work.
Side Effects of less sleep
Impaired Memory
According to the 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, continuous sleepiness can accelerate cognitive aging and people may be at risk of dementia-like conditions.
Increased depression and anxiety
The Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine states that sleep disturbances have affected about a quarter of the world’s population.
People who suffer from sleep problems face mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, suicidal tendencies, and especially depression.
Compromised Immune System
Sleep has a huge effect on your immune system. Getting enough quality sleep and staying healthy go hand in hand.
Without the recommended amount of rest, our bodies cannot fight infection, inflammation or stress.
On average, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep to strengthen and maintain their immune systems.
Weight gain
Lack of sleep or lack of sleep leads to weight gain as the chemicals that send signals to your brain that your stomach is full, don’t function properly.
As a result, you keep on eating in-spite of already being full.
Kills sex drive
Lack of sleep leads to a drop in level of testosterone in men. It causes lower libido and thus lack of sleep kills sex drive.
7 Amazing Tips to Improve Your Sleep
• Create a strict bedtime routine, wake up and sleep at the same time every day.
• Limit the amount of blue light screen time two to three hours before going to sleep.
• Do not nap late in the afternoon.
• Adjust the temperature of your bedroom, set your thermostat at around 70 ° F, this is the most optimal temperature for your body to sleep in and stay up all night.
• Make sure your bedroom is noise-free and it is completely dark
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